A photograph of graffiti and messages on a piece of plywood.
Graffiti on the side of a damaged building on Lichfield Street
Graffiti on a wall exposed after demolition of the adjoining building.
The exposed wall of a building on Peterborough Street covered in graffiti.
A mural by graffiti artist Wongi Wilson on Colombo Street in Sydenham.
A mural by graffiti artist Wongi Wilson on Colombo Street in Sydenham.
Scavenger Hunt 101 - SH 52 (graffiti) Graffiti (or wall art) on the now visible side of a building in central Christchurch. There are still about 100 major buildings to be demolished in the city post the earthquakes.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a shop on the corner of Manchester Street and Struthers Lane, near Sol Square. The inside walls, now visible from the street, have been decorated with graffiti.
A photograph of street art and graffiti at the Addington Saleyards. Text on one of the art works reads, "This is therapy... helps me get shit off my chest!".
A photograph of street art on a wall of Waltham Pool. The street art is advertising the "King of Kings" Graffiti Art Competition.
A photograph of street art on a wall of Waltham Pool. The street art is advertising the "King of Kings" Graffiti Art Competition.
Graffiti on a damaged building. The photographer comments, "They should have painted four leaf clover, if they wanted this tagging to survive the demolition of the earthquake damaged Ozone in Christchurch
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This thesis considers the presence and potential readings of graffiti and street art as part of the wider creative public landscape of Christchurch in the wake of the series of earthquakes that significantly disrupted the city physically and socially. While documenting a specific and unprecedented period of time in the city’s history, the prominence of graffiti and street art throughout the constantly changing landscape has also highlighted their popularity as increasingly entrenched additions to urban and suburban settings across the globe. In post-quake Christchurch, graffiti and street art have often displayed established tactics, techniques and styles while exploring and exposing the unique issues confronting this disrupted environment, illustrating both a transposable nature and the entwined relationship with the surrounding landscape evident in the conception of these art forms. The post-quake city has afforded graffiti and street art the opportunity to engage with a range of concepts: from the re-activation and re-population of the empty and abandoned spaces of the city, to commentaries on specific social and political issues, both angry and humorous, and notably the reconsideration of entrenched and evolving traditions, including the distinction between guerrilla and sanctioned work. The examples of graffiti and street art within this work range from the more immediate post-quake appearance of art in a group of affected suburbs, including the increasingly empty residential red-zone, to the use of the undefined spaces sweeping the central city, and even inside the Canterbury Museum, which housed the significant street art exhibition Rise in 2013-2014. These settings expose a number of themes, both distinctive and shared, that relate to both the post-disaster landscape and the concerns of graffiti and street art as art movements unavoidably entangled with public space.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on the corner of Manchester Street and Struthers Lane. The front wall of the building has crumbled, exposing the rooms inside. One is covered in graffiti.
Graffiti on a damaged building on Colombo Street. The photographer comments, "This street art has been unseen by the general Christchurch population as it was off limits in the Red Zone".
A photograph of the kitchen in Donna Allfrey's house at 406 Oxford Terrace. Graffiti has been scrawled on the walls to the left and right.
A photograph of street art and graffiti under the Durham Street overbridge. The photographer attributes some of the work to Devos and Noose.
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Ex Piko".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Hereford Street, just up from City Mission".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Redzoned houses between Wattle Drive and Anzac Drive".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Redzoned houses between Wattle Drive and Anzac Drive".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Redzoned houses between Wattle Drive and Anzac Drive".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Redzoned houses between Wattle Drive and Anzac Drive".
A photograph of an excavator on a demolition site. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Fitzgerald Avenue and Chester Street".
A photograph of a damaged building on Tuam Street.
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Great Wall of Sumner containers".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Great Wall of Sumner containers".
A photograph of a graffiti image originally used to advertise careers with the New Zealand Police. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "This sign remains painted on the wall, although the other version of it has been painted out".
A photograph of a CERA billboard in a paddock in Dallington, near the Gayhurst Road bridge. The billboard heading reads, "Crown-owned land clearance in the residential red zone". Graffiti has been spray-painted over the rest of the sign.